Junior high in National City will retain its designation from state as a model school

High-performing Granger Junior High School in National City will keep its “model middle grades school” status for another year, according to California Department of Education.

State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson recently announced that 12 high-performing California middle schools have been newly designated as model middle grades schools in the Schools to Watch -Taking Center Stage (STW TCS) program. Another nine schools, including Granger, will retain their status under the same program.

“My congratulations and admiration go out to these schools for continually striving to improve student performance,” Torlakson said in a statement released last week. “Their success is the result of effective and innovative practices that motivate their students to learn and excel.”

STW TCS middle grades schools demonstrate academic excellence, developmental responsiveness to the needs and interests of young adolescents, social equity and organizational support. The program’s model schools host visitors from California and around the world who want to replicate practices that will help them improve their middle grades schools and close the achievement gap.

Granger Junior High was the only redesignated model middle school in San Diego County. It is in the Sweetwater Union High School District.

In order to be named a STW TCS model middle school, school administrators had to conduct a self-study evaluation and complete an extensive narrative application. Each site was then reviewed by a team of middle grades experts.

In order to retain the designation, each school is re-evaluated every three years. Granger was reviewed in October.

All of the schools will be formally recognized at the California Middle Grades Alliance annual luncheon Feb. 28 and during the California League of Middle Schools Conference in March, both in Sacramento. At that time, the schools will have an opportunity to showcase their accomplishments and network with other middle grades educators from around the state.